Prof. Jorge Leitão

Jorge H. Leitão received his Ph.D.in Biotechnology in 1996 from the former Technical University of Lisbon (now the University of Lisbon), Portugal, during which he studied the role of environmental factors in the biosynthesis of alginate by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J.H. Leitão is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences in the scientific and pedagogical area within the Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon), Portugal. His current research interests focus on the post-transcription regulation of bacterial gene expression, especially the roles played by small non-coding regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and the RNA chaperones Hfq and Hfq2 in the biology and pathogenesis of the Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria. His other research interests include exopolysacharide biosynthesis by Gram-negative bacteria (including the functional analysis of enzymes and proteins involved in biosynthesis and regulation), resistance to antimicrobials, and the molecular characterization of microbial populations of ecological, industrial, or health-related interest.